Chip Smith, Nederland. The third installment of Glass Art will focus on the basic tools required for beginning stain glass work as well as a basic introduction of glass types.
At Kay’s shop, O’Neil Rocky Mountain Art, you will find a variety of basic tools for sale. The best way for you to experience the concepts and techniques of creating stained glass projects would be to sign up to take a class. She has everything needed and available to you to use to start a project. You will be introduced to all of the basic tools with her skillful guidance for every step of the process. The charge for an hour long class is $20.
Basic tools required to get you started include the following: Glass cutter with oil, 100 watt soldering iron, 60/40 solder, solder flux with brush, breaking/grozing pliers, 7/32nd copper foil, a fid for working to secure the copper foil to the glass, 2 x 3 foot piece of plywood board, 100 horse nails, patina (copper or black) and in the future a grinder. This is a suggested list and the initial investment roughly around $200.
Once you have committed to this wonderful hobby, your basic tools will expand with upgrades and adding paper, pens, etc. Your basic classes will allow a student to get fully involved in the process. Lead came tools, as well as the possibility to expand to sand blasting are all part of Kay’s introduction to Glass Art.
There are thousands of types of glass used in the creation of stain glass projects.
Your choices of projects, be it a Christmas ornament, sun catcher, animal scene, church window, or a simple star, will be only limited by your imagination. If you see an image, you can create it. Choose an image, size, do a basic design or cartoon, choose the colors, start cutting, foiling, and voila…
All glass starts out being one of two types, cathedral or opalescent, and different types expand in so many choices from there. The endless variety is an understatement. When starting out in stained glass, the sheer variety of choices can feel overwhelming! Color, texture, and ease of cutting grows with your experience and what glass you choose to use.
The two main categories are Cathedral and Opalescent. Cathedral glass is transparent. There is an extensive variety of beautiful and intense colors available. I enjoy the blues, greens, reds, and gold. I am sure that every student will develop their own color pallet.
Opalescent (referred to as Opals) are those which you are not able to see through. They range from light Opals to dark ones. Most lamp shades are made from Opals. These colors are used for windows that allow light but are more for privacy. Think of a nice window for your bathroom.
Other types of glass that you will consider in your projects include bevels. They come in a variety of light colors, usually clear and the light is refracted and a prism-like effect results. They are normally used for borders.
Jewels are a piece of glass that has been cut and faceted into a geometric shape. Square or circular, they come in different sizes and diameters. Nuggets or globs are fun to utilize. They can become the eyes of an animal of a grapevine. Texture becomes a tool in diffusing light. I am a fan of muffle glass. Muted colors, smooth on one side and texture on the other.
Fractures and Streamer is a glass that glass chips or shards are pressed into a glass sheet. They make beautiful backgrounds and add depth to the design. Iridescent glass gives the designer a color and texture that allows for great angel wings.
The choices of glass really become important in the artistic side of the project. Designs can be simple but also become “art” in the windows.
O’Neil Rocky Mountain Art is located at 20 Lakeview Drive in Nederland. Kay can be reached at (303) 717-5794. Or visit her website at www.oneilrockymountainart.com.
(Originally published in the January 28, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
